NBA FA market, news stories and signings

hemlock

cash wrote: Cash aka CCgotITcovered aka Gohan, back again... out of curiosity and to address a couple more things:

a) I don't skip your posts if anything I stop to read them... I was being a dick because I was insulted (kind of sensitive this morning).

b) Thanks for explaining that. I have never looked into the NBA cap because I care about 1000 times less about that sport/league than I do hockey. It's good to have an understanding now.

c) If they can spend up to approx 70M, than doesn't that give them a good 17M to fill out their roster? And isn't it just the first year of the contract that matters to the cap, so they have more cap to spend?

cash

True, but they added a league MVP---a guy who twice took his team to 60 win seasons and 1st round victories, with limited support---to a team with a a former NBA Finals MVP and, now, a PF capable of putting up a double-double on a nightly basis.

They now have 2 players capable of putting up the coveted 25 ppg, 7a and 7r. Those same 2 are top-5 players in the league. And they have one of the youngest players ever to reach 1000 rebounds...a guy capable of being a 20-20 guy...a top-20 player in the league.

They're the "evil empire" for a reason: they're the prohibitive favorite for the title. Will they win it? Well, there's only an off-season + 82 games + 4 rounds until we know for sure. Can they do it? You better believe it.

hemlock

cash wrote:True, but they added a league MVP---a guy who twice took his team to 60 win seasons and 1st round victories, with limited support---to a team with a a former NBA Finals MVP and, now, a PF capable of putting up a double-double on a nightly basis.

They now have 2 players capable of putting up the coveted 25 ppg, 7a and 7r. Those same 2 are top-5 players in the league. And they have one of the youngest players ever to reach 1000 rebounds...a guy capable of being a 20-20 guy...a top-20 player in the league.

They're the "evil empire" for a reason: they're the prohibitive favorite for the title. Will they win it? Well, there's only an off-season + 82 games + 4 rounds until we know for sure. Can they do it? You better believe it.

I think they are also the evil empire the way things went down. Both Bosh and James left their respective teams high and dry, without so much as a sniff of a chance at re-signing them. Fans remember that stuff for a long time.

I just wonder about a guy like Bosh who's always wanted to be the number 1 guy. Now he's not even playing 2nd fiddle. He's quite clearly the 3rd best player on the team. I wonder how long that lasts. Bosh may tired of playing in Wade's and James' shadows.

I don't even like Basketball. This is actually the most I've paid attention to the NBA....ever. It goes to show how ridiculously hyped this summer of LeBron has been.

PKC

cash wrote:True, but they added a league MVP---a guy who twice took his team to 60 win seasons and 1st round victories, with limited support---to a team with a a former NBA Finals MVP and, now, a PF capable of putting up a double-double on a nightly basis.

They now have 2 players capable of putting up the coveted 25 ppg, 7a and 7r. Those same 2 are top-5 players in the league. And they have one of the youngest players ever to reach 1000 rebounds...a guy capable of being a 20-20 guy...a top-20 player in the league.

They're the "evil empire" for a reason: they're the prohibitive favorite for the title. Will they win it? Well, there's only an off-season + 82 games + 4 rounds until we know for sure. Can they do it? You better believe it.

Well, to be fair, they most likely will be a top five regular season team. But I don't think they are built for playoff success by committing that much money to three guys.

My ideal basketball team is built around a dominant center with utility capabilities. Think Duncan, Shaq, Howard. Then I like to throw in a point guard who runs the offense efficiently but can attack the net with unparalleled speed. And to top it off, I like to have a balanced roster of great shooting guards, strong perimeter players (two-way) and a bench that combines smart veterans with good experience and young players eager to learn and get their nose dirty.

I'm not particularly crazy about the Heat's philosophy of signing two players who play the exact same way and a third guy who should be a center but just absolutely, unequivocally refuses to be. Never mind the fact that the only players they can sign are going to be league minimum players to fill out the roster as well as they'll have enough money to sign one player in $4-5 million range (I think, don't quote me on that number, I might be wrong) before they use their league minimum exception.

PKC

cash wrote: Cash aka CCgotITcovered aka Gohan, back again... out of curiosity and to address a couple more things:

a) I don't skip your posts if anything I stop to read them... I was being a dick because I was insulted (kind of sensitive this morning).

b) Thanks for explaining that. I have never looked into the NBA cap because I care about 1000 times less about that sport/league than I do hockey. It's good to have an understanding now.

c) If they can spend up to approx 70M, than doesn't that give them a good 17M to fill out their roster? And isn't it just the first year of the contract that matters to the cap, so they have more cap to spend?

Not quite. Once they reach the designated salary cap ($58.044 million for the upcoming season), then the only way to add more players is to use one of the cap exceptions available. Unfortunately, due to the way this signing bonanza went down, the Heat only qualify for the league minimum exception. Although I believe they might have enough money to sign one league-average contract - with rumors indicating that they'll be using that money to sign Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem.

Riprock

If the Penguins and Blackhawks can win championships based on the same principle (having a couple of superstars surrounded by role players, veterans, rookies) then there's no reason the Heat cannot. They have an amazing coach, and 3 of the league's top players. They will have no problem finding players willing to play for slightly less for the best chance at winning.

LeCaptain

Dash wrote:If the Penguins and Blackhawks can win championships based on the same principle (having a couple of superstars surrounded by role players, veterans, rookies) then there's no reason the Heat cannot. They have an amazing coach, and 3 of the league's top players. They will have no problem finding players willing to play for slightly less for the best chance at winning.

Blackhawks' 3rd line was basically a 2nd line on half the league and Pittsburg had Jordan Staal, Gonchar, a rock solid shutdown Dpair and a freaking hot Fleury.

What Miami is trying to do here is having something like Ovechkin, Henrik Sedin and Kovalchuk (even way worse on salary structure), and the rest of the team filled by guys like Ruutu and rookies.